Oklahoma City Thunder May Trade Newly Crowned MVP Russell Westbrook If He Doesn't Sign an Extension
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook was the first player to average a triple-double over the course of an entire season since Oscar Robertson in the 1961–62 season. And on Monday night, he capped off his historic season by winning the 2017 National Basketball Association (NBA) most valuable player (MVP) award.
Westbrook is at his peak right now and he should be untouchable in trade talks. However, ESPN's Royce Young believes the Thunder may be forced to put him on the trading block if he refuses to sign an extension.
"What we could be looking at is the reigning MVP suddenly being on the trading block, because if he turns down this contract extension, the Thunder are then facing the reality they went through last summer, which is an MVP player, their franchise player, turning them down, and they cannot risk going into free agency and losing him for nothing," Young said, via CBS Sports.
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The notion of the Thunder looking to trade Westbrook seems preposterous. But this doesn't seem all that far-fetched.
The team has been in this situation before with Kevin Durant and they came away empty-handed when he decided to join the Golden State Warriors last summer. It was a huge blow to the franchise and the fans. Fortunately, Westbrook was more than happy to carry the load and he became the undisputed leader of the Thunder.
The franchise can't possibly let something like that happen to them again.
Westbrook is signed through the 2017–18 season and he has a player option for the 2018–19 season. He is eligible to sign a contract extension when the free agency period begins on July 1, and the Thunder can offer him a five-year "supermax" deal worth around $200 million. But things are going to get really interesting if he doesn't sign it.
